NO SISSY weigh in Week 1

Week 1: 167.1 1.6% and 2.7 lbs lost
Start: 169.8

Not bad for my first week. I guess THM is working for me. I have upped my activity level a little bit as well, but it really is a little bit. Two of those pounds came off between Thursday and Monday but I started adding a twenty minute walk to my day the week before. I've also been participating in our family sit up and push up challenge every night. My arms are still pretty flabby but they are getting stronger. The most I've managed to do is 25. It's rough. As part of the contest I've participated in a plank challenge as well. Today was 1 minute. I only dropped a knee once at like 45 sec which is pretty good considering I also did the 25 pushups earlier and my arms were still sore.

I don't know if I'll be able to continue losing at this momentum. I think it's normal to see a big drop in the beginning when you make big changes. Today was harder for me to stay on plan. We had pizza for dinner last night and I was fine with being off plan to eat it, but then we had it again tonight and I couldn't quit eating from lunch on. So I need to do better tomorrow.

Week 2 weigh in

Start - 196.7
Week 1 - 194.2
Week 2 - 193.8

Another loss! It wasn't much, but this was a hard week and better than nothing. I had a lot of cravings besides the fact we had family in town. Amazingly, today I had 67 calories at the end of the day plus the 500 for nursing. We did the 2 mile walk around the neighborhood and then I did a bunch of shopping so I racked up quite the calorie burn. In fact, this was the best I've done with the fitbit and my step count. I was headed for bed and decided to check my steps and I was just 300 shy of 10K, so I decided to walk back and forth through the house until I reached my goal. Yay  me!

I feel ready to start the C25K again. It seems I started quite the trend in NJ when I made LC my running buddy. She's been going full speed since I quit and has even motivated MP. Now RV has decided she wants to do it too. I told her she could be my buddy. She's going to start on Thurs. I'd like to start tomorrow, but I don't have a phone that can run the app or play list. I'm on a mission to find my Dad's. Getting a smartphone has become an obsession almost.

And over the last week I can tell that walking has totally turned my PPD around. I feel so much more like my old self. It's nice. Things that would have been totally overwhelming now seem like no big deal (like opening up a closet door). Amazing what a bit of exercise and friendshipping does for me!

Caloric Balancing Act

Today was day 2 of walking the neighborhood. It was just me and another gal with a new baby. I've been wanting to hang out with her, so it worked out really well to be just the two of us. We went the route we meant to go yesterday and still managed to do it in about 30 minutes. I felt really good afterwards and tried to not sit down as much when I got home. I was better than yesterday, but not perfect. I did get two loads of laundry folded which is good. And tonight I was even able to go on a bike ride with the boys. I keep getting the reminder that my legs are not in as good a shape as they were last summer, but I didn't do too bad. I couldn't make it up any hills but by the end of our trip around the complex I was feeling a lot stronger. If only I can keep it up... Though I think I will be able to because I've committed the group to walking every week day.

My big dilemma is how much do I account for nursing and still lose weight. I've read a bunch of articles tonight and I should add 500 calories for nursing. In fact, I am seeing that my caloric intake should be between 2200 and 2500. I was thinking 1800-2000. I like that I can eat that much more, but what I can't figure out is how I gained all my baby weight back after delivery if I really should be eating more. I think the stress was causing me to hold on to it - although I was probably averaging closer to 3000 + on my roadtrip so that may have been a culprit as well. I am curious what the scales will reflect on Monday. I don't want to eat too many calories, but I don't want to eat too few and lose my milk supply either. It is a fine line and an experiment. The ironic/funny thing is that once I knew I had an extra load of calories my body says it's hungry. It had felt just fine before that :p

Breaking Out - Lettuce Eat Cake 2014

After some discussion with my friend Julie, we decided to startup the Lettuce Eat Cake contest now instead of in January. We both desperately needed some motivation now. The contest started Tues morning. I was not really mentally ready to start, but did it anyway.

Starting Weigh in - 196.7

I bought a fitbit one on Tues to help me keep track of how active I really am being. Yesterday I walked a whopping 2K steps (the goal is 10k), but my hope is that I will get better. In fact, I finally reached out to people to see if anyone wanted to walk with me. I got a decent response and this morning was our first excursion.

We met at the church parking lot at 9 am and then walked the neighborhood. I mapped a route last night, but we ended up getting a little lost. It worked out well in the end though because we went even farther than I'd marked. My legs were even burning a bit by the time we got back. The pace was decent and I certainly worked up a sweat. Here's the final stats:

Distance - 1.8 miles
Time - 36 minutes
Pace - 2.9 mph

We decided we'd meet every day with the expectation that not everyone would be there every day. Today's weather was just right and with the fall season approaching this may be a really good time to start.

The exercise and socializing was just what I needed :)

Musings

I have not exercised since my CardioX stint. I think my emotional well-being is tied in to that as well because it hasn't been as good as it had the week before when I was being active. The good news is that the Lettuce Eat Cake contest is being resurrected starting Monday. Maybe that will help with the motivation, though I know the heart of it is that I need exercise buddies. I need someone to exercise with and be accountable to. Someone within my ward boundaries. I need friends in my ward. I feel cut off from everyone, but I recognize that it is only in my head. I just need to do my part to reach out to them. In my analyzing of my NJ experience, I was reminded that I went through this there as well in the beginning. Reaching out to people made a huge difference. At least in NJ there was an email sent out every week so there was at least some way to communicate with everyone. Here there is nothing - no facebook friends, no email list. I have debated sending out a mass email suggesting a walking group but have wondered at the appropriateness of it.

And then of course I wonder if it is worth the effort when I don't know how much longer we will be here. Our lease ends Oct 30 and Matthew's orders end Sept 30th. He failed the PT test due to shin splints so he is flagged and the intended 90 day orders can no longer be given to him until he passes a mid-Oct PT test. He's been going to physical therapy and getting help, but the timing is so tricky. We got a notice from the apartment complex about our lease ending and needing notice by the end of September our intent to renew or by the 1st if we are not. The month to month option is a $300 increase in our rent, though either way our rent will be increasing by $100 if we renew with a 9 - 12 month lease. Since Matthew is flagged, they are going to put him on AT orders for the month of October and then if he passes his PT test they'll give him the 90 day orders which brings us through January. And then what? That's only 4 months - no lease option there. Do we go ahead and sign another 6 month lease (which cost they did not enumerate in the letter)? I feel at such a loss. It finally occurred to me today that the answer I seek would come through prayer.  I am ashamed to admit that it took this long to realize that :/

In other thoughts, Peter is 2 calendar months old today. I am enjoying getting to know him. I can tell when he is excited not by his smiles b/c they are still kind of rare, but by the way he grunts and fidgets. One of his favorite things to do is practice standing. He will grip our thumbs and we can say "stand up" or "sit down" or "sit up" and he will tense his muscles and pull himself into whatever position. He prefers to be in an upright position and will often try to sit up when I lay him down on his back propped up. Today he was especially intent on practicing standing. I loved watching the determination on his face as he not only stood up, but then would pick up a foot and place it back down. It was taking a lot of effort and he got upset that his body tired so easily. I just kissed him and told them I knew his body couldn't do everything his spirit could do, but it would get there. His determination and perseverance is inspiring. As I think about all the strengthening his muscles have to do to get from one stage to the next (rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, pulling up, and finally walking) and the time it takes to get there, reminds me that obtaining my own goals takes time (and determination) as well.

Sometimes I have a hard time believing he is still so young because he's gotten so chunky and his spirit is so robust. I am thankful he is part of our family.

Experimenting

I have been toying with the idea of purchasing coconut oil for its myriad of uses for awhile but due its expense have been gun shy. This last week Sprouts had a BOGO free deal so I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

My number one use of interest was oil pulling. So, I used just a small amount last night and pulled for about 5 -10 minutes before brushing my teeth and then did it again this morning with a larger amount for 20 min. I should took a start picture to see if there is any difference. On one hand my mouth did feel cleaner this morning, but my sensitive teeth feel a bit like they are on alert though they don't hurt.

I have also read it makes a great facial cleanser so I put some on my face yesterday and today. I think that regiment needs tweaked but my face does feel softer.

I have been meaning to start doing my green smoothies again and I had a small bunch of spinach leftover from a recipe so I decided to go ahead and make one yesterday as a mid-morning snack. I dropped a tablespoon of coconut oil in it. There was just a hint of coconut flavor and it was pretty good. I really enjoy the flavor of my green smoothies and my body said Ahhh as I drank it.

Supposedly two of the benefits of coconut oil is increased energy and weight loss (keeps you full longer and has good fat). I am not sure that the coconut oil itself made a difference, but this morning I woke up at 5 to feed Peter and go to the bathroom. After changing his diaper I found myself feeling quite alert. I laid in bed debating getting up for the morning and exercising. After about 45 minutes I decided to get up. I made Matthew's lunch while I swished the coconut oil and debated whether I really wanted to start my day with CardioX or something a little more tame since I am just starting back into things. I chose Cardio X. And survived.

I modified where I needed to because I didn't want to go all out and then be so sore I wouldn't do it again or be able to function. For the most part it went well, but I really felt my muscles when I finished the Steam Engine which is at the end of the program. It is basically standing crunches. Youch! Peter woke up the last little bit but I was close enough to the cool down that I didn't stop. Now that it is the end of the day I'm feeling a lot more than just my hamstrings. Everything is going to be so sore tomorrow. I did a lot of sitting today with Peter so I wasn't able to keep my muscles warm and limber. Oh well....

I feel like I've been in much better control of my eating today and wasn't as hungry or bottomless pit as I have been. Maybe it is the exercise, maybe it is the coconut oil, maybe it is the smoothie, or maybe it is a combination. I did eat some things I shouldn't have but I didn't do it with a feeling of lack of control, if that makes sense.

On to something

Matthew rejoined Weight Watchers and his interest in activity and food intake has helped me take a little bit more control of my own actions. Earlier this summer I paid for lifetime membership on sister sites Menu Mom and www.MenuPlanningCentral.com which gives me access to ebooks with all kinds of recipes as well as weekly meal plans. I have access to all the meal plans (family friendly, frugal, vegetarian, and healthy) but I opted to go with the healthy one this week because it had the best variety and includes nutritional info as well as the recipe which would be beneficial for Matthew. I am hoping that having a meal plan will help reign in the grocery spending as well.

For my birthday my MIL gave me a Fitbit Flex, but since I was basically sedentary I let Matthew use it. At this point I should get a new one for me. They are on sale through AAFES and was going to pick one up on Thurs but noticed the Fitbit One was the same price. I decided I needed to do some research and decide which one I really want. I wished I had it today though because I have definitely been active!

Since being in TX I have felt the itch to replace my bike. It needed new tubes and tires but I couldn't get the tires off. I took it to a bike shop to pay them to do it earlier this summer only to discover that they wouldn't b/c of the type of rims. Basically they deemed the bike unsafe. :/ So I have been in the market for a new bike ever since. I found one on Ft Sam I really liked but not getting. I wished I'd have at least written down its info so I could find it again. I was hoping that Hill AFB would carry the same ones but it didn't. Oh well...

At my 6 wks check the midwife prescribed at least 20 minutes (preferably an hour) of outside activity every day to help me feel better. Friday ended up being a magical kind of day and I finally captured that feeling of last year's summer. I went swimming! It felt so good! In the evening I took Matthew's bike and the boys and I rode around the block. Man are my legs out of shape! Saturday I rode the same route again. I only swam about 20 minutes the day before, but my muscles were still pretty sore.

So my research for the fitbit seems to have subconsciously spurred my willingness to be active b/c this morning I wanted to take the boys on a ride to the school. I pushed the stroller and they rode bikes. Aaron needed the practice too if he is going to ride to school. We have a week to get into shape! The school is about a mile away. It took about 20 minutes for me to walk each way. I had flashbacks to last summer the entire time. The difference was that I was walking and not running or riding. It was nerve wracking not being able to be as fast as the boys with Aaron being such a novice at the bike (sans training wheels). Once we got to the school they practiced locking their bikes and then we headed to the play ground. We were there about 45 minutes and then I attempted to herd them home. Again I thought about last summer.

I realized that Jared was as much a novice bike rider last summer after returning from TX as Aaron is. I didn't have my bike until we got back either which means that all that bike riding happened the last 3-4 weeks of summer. Granted our school starts earlier, but we are in the same place as last year. The difference is we have Matthew around in the evenings and Peter dictating when and how I can participate in activities. Anyway, as the boys were riding around the playground I realized we spent a lot of time on our bikes last summer in a business parking lot. It was a large space where we could perfect our skills. Although we have the apartment roads, it just isn't the same because you always have to watch out for cars. There isn't the element of freedom.

As I watched the boys ride ahead of me on the playground and I wished I could be as fast as them - either by chasing them on my bike or running after them, I think I finally understood the feeling of last summer I have been trying to capture: empowerment. Last summer was empowering. It seems a shame that we are on the last week of summer and I finally found what I was looking for.

Riding Along...

It was a BEAUTIFUL spring day today! Oh it is so refreshing to have nice weather. It's unfortunate that temps will drop this coming week and bring more snow. I am ready for full on spring, but I'll take what I can get for now.

We spent a lot of the day cleaning and such, but by the late afternoon I was ready to get out of the house. I pulled out my bike and we road down the street. I wasn't sure how my body would handle it, but overall it went well. Mine and Jared's legs are out of practice so we had to walk our bikes up the 'hill' but I didn't have any trouble with balance or hurting. For a little bit afterwards my left leg was giving me some problems when I walked but that actual riding was quite refreshing. If it weren't for the turn of weather I think we would be up to doing it every day and build up our stamina again. I did discover my back tire's valve has a leak so that will have to be taken care of better than the electrical tape fix I did today. Last summer when I tried to change out my tires I couldn't get them off. Maybe Matthew would be able to do it even if I couldn't.

Wowzuhs!

35:27 minutes/1.16 miles/172 calories/53.8 fat

holy smokes I'm out of shape! My legs have been begging for me to get back into a walking routine and last week the weather convinced me to get out and do it, but before I actually followed through it snowed. I decided to set up my treadmill 'office' and walk while I was on the computer instead of laying in bed all day. I've been walking for 35 minutes and have only gone a mile and I'm POOPED!

That being said, I feel so much better than I have been now that it is done! I feel like I have more energy overall :) If only the weather could stay nice.....

Shoveling counts

as exercise today. Totally.

I am so grateful for the two high schoolers who offered to help me shovel the driveway b/c the pile at the end where the snow plow pushed the snow was a daunting mound. Aaron thought it made a great mountain, but when you have to move it, it isn't such a great thing.

Shoveling wore me out and made me sore. It hurts to walk now :/

This week - Valerie 1: Bed 1

I did it! I am so proud of myself! I fought the bed, and I won!

I woke up at 4:30 to go to the bathroom and lay back in bed realizing I couldn't go back to sleep. I laid there thinking about getting up to exercise. I thought about my beloved P90x and longed to feel so limber and stretched out, but as I went through the routine in my head I just couldn't bring myself to do jumping jacks. I thought about my other beloved 20 minute video. I thought about how last night I was so sick and dizzy and still a felt a little bit like that and wondered if being vertical was really that great of an idea. In the end, I decided to try. I got up, got dressed, took Aaron's laundry basket downstairs, grabbed an apple, water bottles, and my shoes and headed to the basement. I switched out the laundry and turned on the Wii. I weighed in (183 - still not bad for two months of random exercising) and thought about doing some Wii Fit exercises but decided I didn't get enough bang for my buck. I bit the bullet and put in CardioX video and put on my shoes while I waited for it to cycle to the beginning. Um, disc error. Score? I turned it off and headed to the main floor and the computer and found a 30 minute exercise video on YouTube. Perfecto!

 I didn't break a sweat, but I worked my muscles and got my heart rate up. I feel energized and good. This particular producer has three different videos so I will either rotate them every day or do three a week as I hoped with my goals. Well, who am I kidding? If I do all three in a week whether it is every day or every other day will be a miracle :) But I really do need to quit being lazy about this b/c my body is paying for it. I took a picture to post last week or the week before and I haven't posted it yet (Obviously).

Matthew came down as I was finishing the last of my workout a little before 6. It was nice having a little bit of quiet coherent time with him.

It did feel really good to exercise though. What finally got me out of bed was thinking that I could always take a nap later. I am starting to feel the crash, but a nap will have to wait at this point.

Bootcamp Days 3 & 4

So I ended up skipping day 3, but then on day 4 (I think that was Thurs) I did both videos. For 7 minute videos, they sure pack a punch! I was sore yesterday :) It is isn't a debilitating kind of sore, but an 'oh, you used me yesterday' kind of sore. Unfortunately I skipped yesterday too. So much for consistency. I will attempt to double up again today to make up for it.

In other things, I didn't do any of my weekly cleanings though I did try to keep up with my daily kitchen ones. Wed I didn't feel very good but did manage to put away all the cans and such that I had bought over the weekend and finally brought inside. I set up my can rotating system and loaded them up in the sun room. Having the clutter out of the kitchen definitely helped keep me on track with daily kitchen clean up. My goals for my bedroom and the boys' room has not been accomplished yet, but there's still today ;)

I have been in a sewing kick so a lot of my time has been spent looking at patterns online and actually doing them. What are short projects for one person ends up being an all day affair for me. When I eventually pull out the SD card from the camera I'll have a bunch of pics to upload :)

Bootcamp Day 2: Lower body

Bootcamp Day 2

Check. I could even do it despite having showered :) It feels good to work my legs again!

28 Day Boot camp Day 1

I didn't get to shower before the boys left for school, so I had no excuse for not exercising. I decided to ease my way back in with a program I did this summer. It is a 28 day bootcamp through Sparkpeople.com. It is a 10 minute video every day. Today's was a cardio workout and man am I out of shape!! It always amazes me how quickly our muscles deteriorate when they aren't used. It's only been two months but geesh! I think it is good that I am taking the 'easy' way back. With a 10 minute workout, I can't use the excuse that it takes more time than I'm willing to give. I was going to snap a picture for a 'before' but didn't get it done. Tomorrow.

The thing I like about this program is that it is only 10 minutes and every day works a different muscle group. And the amazing things is that 10 minutes is enough! I saw real results this summer. I figure once I get some of my muscles back into shape and as well as my exercise habit, then I can branch out to my other videos.

Bout time!

*whew* I did it. I finally exercised. It wasn't much, but it was something. I have a daily check off that I've been working off of to keep up with the kitchen and boys' homework. (Aaron loves being able to mark off his assignments :) And frankly, so do I.) One of the of the things on my list is to exercise 3 times a week. At the beginning of the week I focused more on getting back into reading scriptures so I would do that while I ate my breakfast. By Wed I was thinking I should read scriptures while I go on the treadmill, but I like to do it while I eat since I am sitting there anyway. Well, today and yesterday I finished off Aaron's cereal while Jared ate his breakfast, so no excuse there!

I decided to bite the bullet and get on the treadmill. I pulled out the board I'd used last year to rest my computer on while treadmilling and instead placed my Old Testament Institute manual and scriptures on it. Petty excuse, but I was already showered and dressed for the day so I didn't want to do exert myself too much so I just walked. I have also had a headache since yesterday so I didn't want to exacerbate it either. (And yes, I took some tylenol for it but it is still around just duller.) I read three chapters of Leviticus and corresponding insights from the manual before I decided I couldn't concentrate much longer. In all, I walked a little over 20 minutes, maxed at 3.0 mph and .90 miles. I debated completing a full mile but wanted to be done at 20 min so I didn't. As I said, not much, but it is more than the nothing I've been doing :)

Couch to 5K2 Week 6 day 1

Week 6 day 1 5 min warm-up/cool down, 5 min run, 3 min walk, 8 min run, 3 min walk, 5 min run
     2.44 mi 34:20 total
     1.88 mi 24 min, 4.7 mph

I was supposed to do my 20 min run on Saturday but I ended up being so wiped out that I slept most of the day. I finally felt better at 11 pm but at that point it was too late to run. Today I debated doing the 20 min or moving on to the next week. I finally decided to do the 20 min and then Matthew decided he'd run outside with me. He is so prone to shin splints that he is really wary of running on concrete, but for whatever reason, he decided he would try it. However, with his input we decided to do the walk/run intervals instead. It's been awhile since he's run so that would help him ease back into running. As suspected, he lapped me. I felt like I was going really slowly, but looking at the final product I am still doing better than before. I had to go to week 7 to find the same distance covered. So overall I am happy with my progress, I just need to stay motivated to get out the door and do it.

Couch to 5K2 Week 5 days 1 & 2

Week 5 day 1 5 min warm-up/cool down, 5 min run, 3 min walk, 5 min run, 3 min walk, 5 min run
            day 2 5 min warm-up/cool down, 8 min run, 5 min walk, 8 min run
                   2.33 miles 33 min (total)
                   1.70 miles 26 min (run interval)

Monday I ran around the neighborhood. I have pretty much maintained my distance/speed - 2.25 mi in 31 minutes (with warm-up and cool down).

Tues I did my SELF video for the first time in a couple of weeks which felt good.

Wed I was a bum. Jared pulled his first 'all-nighter' (went to bed at midnight and was up again at 5) so we were all really tired. Plus we had to chase the bus to the next stop for him to catch it. I was actually kind of impressed at how easy that was and how good it felt... The weather was just right for running, but in the end I curled up on the couch and fell asleep. It's amazing how much better I felt after a nap though at that point I only had 2 hours til the boys got home so I took care of some projects instead of exercising.

Thurs the brain fog wanted me to give in to being a bum, but I forced myself to get dressed in my exercise clothes and then half the battle had already been won. I did opt to use the treadmill though it was great running weather once again. It's silly, but the landscapers were here and I didn't want them to see me run (though they probably saw me on the treadmill anyway so it wouldn't make a lot of difference). I almost hit the pavement as soon as my warm-up was over because I wanted to watch the houses pass as I move, but didn't. This interval was 8 min running with a 5 min walk in between. The first 8 minutes went pretty quickly and I even turned up my speed to hit 6.0 mph though I quickly dropped it back down. Ideally I would have followed the same incremental reduction as I did increase, but oh well. The second 8 minutes weren't quite as easy and I ended up spending most of it at a slower pace (4.5) though I did work up to 5.5 and back down.

I was pretty pleased with how 'easy' it was. I did my warm-up all the way up to 4.0 mph and then started my jog at 4.5 though I found 4.8 - 5.0 my comfortable spot. Kind of cool :)

Last night was a rough night and I am choosing to be a bum again. My legs are actually sore and I am not feeling great either. Tomorrow I will need to run though. It is the first 20 minutes run of the program. I am kind of looking forward to it and comparing it to my first 20 minute run where I was dying!! Part of the fun of this journey is to see the progress b/c it is tangible! :)

Couch to 5K2 Week 4 day 2/3

Week 4 - 5 min warm-up/cool down 3 min run, 90 sec walk, 5 min run, 2 1/2 min walk, repeat
     Day 1 1.75 mi/21.5 min/4.8 mph = 12:17 min pace!!!!! (according to a pace calc & assuming all info is correct)
               2.23 mi/30:26 min/14:06 min pace (w/ warm-up and cool down)

     Day 2/3 pretty much the same (maybe 5 sec slower pace)

The mornings have greeted us with frosty grass and iced windows since Thursday. I turned the heat on then, but even still I could not stay feeling warm as the day progressed and the room temp met the heater's standards. Apparently the heater wants to run the same way the a/c did - all night and not during the day. I even felt cold air through the vents at one point through the day!! No wonder I get cold :/ 

Today was no different outside - frosty grass, iced windows, but on the inside -  I was warm. And feeling awake. It has been a tired kind of week, but today I felt more energetic and WANTED to go run and did :) I was a little slower than Monday, but not by much (maybe 5-10 sec delay).

Mid-week running blues

It is amazing how the middle of the week seems to be such a downer for my exercise lately - especially after having such great runs on Mondays. hmm

Yesterday the boys were out of school so I opted not to exercise though I really could have - even if it were on the treadmill or a 20 min video. Nope. Didn't happen. A cold front came through and by 9:30 this morning it was really just right to go run. Did I do it? Nope. Even though my legs were begging to be stretched out.

Ok, well, I finally listened to my legs opted to put out the treadmill and did the 20 min 6 mph program - just enough to watch episode one of season one of Duck Dynasty (22 min). Perfecto. As for the actual program, I decided not to do anything with the incline and just see how it went. I decided I'd rather focus on the speed aspect of it than mimicking the outdoors. The program has you walk for 3 min at 2.0 mph and then jumps to 3.0 for another 6-8 min or so and then jumps up .5 mph ever minute until you reach 6.0 then drops to 3.0 to cool down. In the past I start jogging at 4.0. I tried this time. I couldn't do it. It was too slow, so I walked it!! Wow, I never thought that would happen. I remember eons ago when 4.0 was too fast! Man how far I have come! I did end up cutting out on the 6.0 before the time was up and took it down to 5.5 for the last 30 seconds or so, but overall I am pleased with how it went. It was a nice fairly easy jaunt that got my heart rate up and has allowed me to not be a total exercise bum today :)

Couch to 5K2 Week 4 day 1 - oh yeah baby!!

Week 3 - 5 min warm-u/cool down 90 sec run, 90 sec walk, 3 min run, 3 min walk, repeat
     Day 1 1.36 mi/18 min/13:13 pace
              1.86 mi/ 28 min/15:00 pace (w/ warm-up and cool down)
     Day 2/3 1.38 mi/18 min/13:00 pace
                  1.91 mi/28 min/14:36 pace (w/ warm-up and cool down

Week 4 - 5 min warm-up/cool down 3 min run, 90 sec walk, 5 min run, 2 1/2 min walk, repeat
     Day 1 1.75 mi/21.5 min/4.8 mph = 12:17 min pace!!!!! (according to a pace calc & assuming all info is correct)
               2.23 mi/30:26 min/14:06 min pace (w/ warm-up and cool down)

vs week 4 in July day 1: 1.85 mi total, day 3  1.95 miles/31:32 min/ 17 min mile.
vs week 6 day 1 2.25 miles in 34 min (both warm-up and cool down included)

I didn't run with my buddy today so I don't have the cool table. I ran around my neighborhood and checked against my last session's maps and it wasn't until week 6 that I accomplished what I did today. woot! woot! I went 2.23 mi total and maintaining the pace that I did last week when I didn't go as far. yeehaw!!

I could tell that I am running at a faster pace than I did the first go round. However, I think the walking path we are using when I run with my buddy is too easy. It is pretty much all flat surfaced where my neighborhood has a variety of inclines making the run more challenging and building better muscles. So today's run definitely felt challenging due to the inclines, but I did it rather well I think :)

Matthew has 3 weeks until his PT test. I was surprised/impressed when he verified the program I have been doing and told me he'd been looking for something like this to help him prepare for his great nemesis - the 2 mi run. He figures he could pick up at week 4 and be just fine b/c he is not a beginning runner. I think it is pretty cool that we'd be on the same week. Though his pace is so much faster than mine that even if we could run at the same time, we wouldn't be running together.

I have been curious about my weight b/c I haven't been able to weigh myself the last couple of weeks. The scale decided it didn't want work, even with a change of batteries, and neither do the Wii remotes, again, even with a change of batteries. I think I am losing inches but I am afraid to tape myself b/c the last time I did, there wasn't improvement. My jeans are certainly fitting better though which is nice.